{"id":20001,"date":"2015-09-23T08:08:20","date_gmt":"2015-09-23T08:08:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=20001"},"modified":"2015-09-23T08:20:00","modified_gmt":"2015-09-23T08:20:00","slug":"diary-of-a-traveling-sadhaka-chanting-from-trutnov-czech-woodstock-and-prague-to-the-the-north-of-england","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=20001","title":{"rendered":"Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka: Chanting from Trutnov (Czech Woodstock) and Prague to the North of England"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 11, No. 16
By Krishna-kripa das
(August 2015, part two)<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Trutnov (Czech Woodstock), Prague & The North of England
(Sent from Penn Station, New York City, on September 22, 2015)<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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Where I Went and What I Did<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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After almost ten days with the Festival of India on Poland\u2019s Baltic coast, I traveled to Wroclaw <\/span><\/span>in the south of Poland<\/span><\/span>, and the <\/span><\/span>next day<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span>across<\/span><\/span> the Czech border to Trutnov, for the Trutnoff Open Air Festival, also known as the Czech Woodstock. The Czech devotees are friends with Martin, the organizer, and we have a Krishna camp with Krishna music and Krishna food there. After the Trutnov festival, I chanted for a day with Harinama Ruci in Prague. Then I chanted in Newcastle a couple of days, and then Blackpool, Preston, Southport, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, and back to Newcastle, doing evening programs in Preston, Liverpool, and Leeds and a <\/span><\/span>kirtana <\/span><\/i>program in Manchester, thus ending the <\/span><\/span>very busy <\/span><\/span>month of August.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
I share quotes from Srila Prabhupada lectures and notes on the books and journal of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami. I share notes on lectures by two Manchester devotees, Jagadatma Prabhu, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada, and Radha Mohan Prabhu, a disciple of Radhanath Swami, on Lord Balarama’s appearance day.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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Thanks to Harinama Ruci for their pictures of the Trutnov festival and Prague <\/span><\/span>harinama. <\/span><\/i>Thanks to Ananga Sevika Devi Dasi for her video of our final <\/span><\/span>kirtana <\/span><\/i>at Trutnov. Thanks to Aharada Devi Dasi for the picture of our <\/span><\/span>bhajana <\/span><\/i>team in Manchester.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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Thanks to the Newcastle temple for their kind contribution. Thanks to Tony and the Preston <\/span><\/span>nama-hatta <\/span><\/i>for their kind donation toward my travels. Thanks to Alan and the Liverpool <\/span><\/span>nama-hatta <\/span><\/i>for their kind donation toward my travels. Thanks to Janardana Prabhu and the Leeds <\/span><\/span>nama-hatta <\/span><\/i>for their kind donation, as well as to one of their congregation who also contributed. Thanks to Punya Palaka Prabhu, who also contributed to my travel fund. Thanks to Gaura Karuna Prabhu for always being willing to convert currencies for me.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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Itinerary<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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September 22\u201325: New York City Harinama<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
September 26\u201327: Albany <\/span><\/span> <\/div>\n
September 28\u2013November 13: New York City Harinama<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
November 14\u201317: Washington, D.C., Harinama<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
November 18\u201319: Jacksonville<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
November 20\u2013December 16: Krishna House (except 5 days in Tallahassee)<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
December 16\u2013January 3: New York City Harinama<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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Adventures on the Way to Trutnov<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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On the train from Wroclaw to the southern border of Poland, two boys in my compartment asked to hear me play my harmonium. Since the conductor was in the next compartment we closed the door and window, so as not to get in trouble. One of the boys had studied the piano for four years. They were really impressed, although it was not really impressive. I was impressed with them, for when they made a video of me chanting, they recorded at least five mantras. Usually people get bored after two or three. I gave them my card, and invited them to send it to me, if they were inspired.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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I tried a new border crossing from Poland to Czech Republic this year, one that supposedly had a bus across it, because I was tired of walking across the border between Lubawka, PL, and Kralovac, CZ, but as it turned out I missed the first bus and the second bus did not come. I decided to walk and hitchhike at the same time. I ripped the side off a cardboard box I found in a dumpster and wrote \u201cCZ\u201d on it in big letters, and set out on my journey. After no more than 15 minutes a couple of young men who were going to a weekend hip-hop festival in Hradlec Kralovec stopped and offered to take me there, rather than just across the border. It was a big enough city I knew I could easily catch a train to Trutnov from there, though much further from the border than I needed to be, so I accepted the ride anyway. The guy who was not driving decided he wanted to take a video of me playing harmonium and chanting Hare Krishna. I was in the middle of the front seat of the van, and as I sang, the driver sang along with me in a very animated way. We must have chanted four mantras together. I also invited the young guy who took the video to send it me. I noticed we would pass through Jaromer, a town I had traveled through by train on the way to Trutnov one year, so I suggested they drop me there. I saw a sign with a picture of the train and the word BUS, and I assumed it was both the train and bus station, but it was actually a place to get buses, including one to the train station. All the Trutnov buses were finished for the night, and so the bus driver going to the train station offered to take me there. When I got to the train station no one was at the ticket counter, but looking at the schedule of departures, I was delighted to see there was a train to Trutnov in five minutes. That was Krishna\u2019s kindness on me.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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Trutnoff Open Air Music Festival (Czech Woodstock)<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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For many years devotees have been sharing Krishna music and food with attendees at the Trutnoff Open Air Music Festival in Trutnov, Czech Republic, just 16 km south of the Polish border. About 20,000 or 30,000 people attend the event, paying the equivalent of about 40 euros for admission. <\/span><\/span>
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Our Krishna Camp and the schedule of events at it are include in the publication given to all the attendees of the festival when they register.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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I have been coming for seven years, every year beginning with 2009. Some people remembered me from 2009, and I remembered some of them from 2009.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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On Thursday night quite a number of people enthusiastically chanted with us (<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>https:\/\/youtu.be\/sX8T1xeKGuc<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/u><\/span><\/span>):<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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